White Martins signs gas supply deal

White Martins Gases Industriais today signed a 15-year agreement with the Brazilian steel company, Companhia Siderurgica de Tubarao for the supply of oxygen, nitrogen and argon.

White Martins Gases Industriais, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Praxair announced today that it has signed a 15-year agreement with the Brazilian steel company, Companhia Siderurgica de Tubarao (CST), for the supply of oxygen, nitrogen and argon.

White Martins will construct and operate two new air separation units at CST’s facilities at Serra, near Vitoria, to support the expansion of CST’s steel production capacity. The cryogenic units will be engineered and built locally by White Martins, and will produce 2,600 tons per day of industrial gases when they become operational in mid-2006.

CST will increase its production capacity from five million tons per year to 7.5 millions tons per year as part of the Brazilian government’s goal of increasing the country’s steel production capacity by 30% to 44 million tons per year.

“This agreement, which protects White Martins from currency fluctuations, will have a positive impact on the Brazilian economy as CST gears up to meet the increasing global demand for steel,” said White Martins’ president, Domingos Bulus.

“CST’s selection of White Martins extends the existing partnership between the two companies and underscores the value of White Martins’ advanced technology and its reliable systems,” Bulus added.